Excuse my French, but that was a bitch! For all sorts of reasons, most or at least some of which you already know. But it's done, and while it's not perfect I think it's pretty cool.
The next task will be yet another animation, though there might be a still image or two before it - haven't decided yet. Since I think I've already solved the problem of one character carrying another, that part at least should be pretty straightforward. Though I will have to create a convincing wa...
2023-08-06 00:44:27 +0000 UTC
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Not really... but sometimes it makes you want to tear your hair out. I'm exhausted and it's very, very late. Below is a preview of the animation I'm working on, or at least part of it! The image is a still render from one of the animation frames. I'll add more text here to explain in the morning. Right now I need to sleep.
TAG-C-168 Test8 animation
...
2023-07-30 08:43:58 +0000 UTC
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I'm battling flagging optimism this week. The group of renders I completed took huge amounts of effort, simply due to their complexity. SO many articles of clothing that had to work ON characters, and OFF them, as props. And for all of them I had to use physics engines to make them conform naturally, and also had to try multiple articles of clothing for many of them to find one that would work without exploding.
"Exploding" you ask? yes: EXPLODING...
2023-07-23 04:27:37 +0000 UTC
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Reasonably productive week in spite of our AC problems. Those are solved by the way, and my office is cooler than ever, despite the last few days being the hottest of the year (today my weather station showed temps reached 110.8°F, or 43.8°C at my house).
Had some interesting problems to solve and had to do some "kit-bashing" to create a master bedroom suite for Olivia's penthouse hotel suite which took a lot of time. Kit bashing means creating something in 3...
2023-07-16 04:38:09 +0000 UTC
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Here's a convenient site post with all the Release 1 download links, a synopsis of the game, a sea of comments (both good and bad!) and my replies. Feel free to add your own comment or question there, and even rate the game!
https://f95zone.to/threads/the-alpha-gender-v0-2-alpha-mikethe3dguy.159546/
2023-07-13 16:22:00 +0000 UTC
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My office is unfortunately in the hottest room in our house. I'm pretty heat-resistant myself - I can handle hot days better than most. But my PC? Not so much. PCs like mine with the kind of graphics card that can render 3D images well and quickly produce huge amounts of heat. So I have to be extra-observant about the temperatures inside the box when I'm rendering, especially during Summer - and especially-especially when I live in an area that's experiencing record heat. Our house has two AC...
2023-07-11 16:41:38 +0000 UTC
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I'm very happy with the way the script is unfolding as this plays out. As a writer you know things are going well when you feel almost guided... that's the "less conscious", more creative part of your mind working. Characters tend to come alive, and behave in ways you didn't necessarily expect, but in hindsight it makes perfect sense. Also, when I write I can feel the emotions the characters experience, like I'm inhabiting their body in that moment. Right now in the...
2023-07-10 16:30:59 +0000 UTC
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Yeah, I got tired of trying to come up with a new dumb title for each update and just decided to number them. There are certainly other posts, but the "updates" are the ones where I share some renders for the upcoming release, and this is the 5th post like that for Release 2.
Wasn't a terribly productive week image-wise, due to work on the phone texting module and all the writing that involves. The coding for the texting module is now completely done. I'm guessing I have half, ...
2023-07-09 04:40:40 +0000 UTC
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Text system up and running, integrated into code. I've added around 100 text messages to the history so far, though there will be hundreds more! The phone looks a bit different from the one in his hand here, and I might try to update the images to match it. Not super critical, but I do love consistency.
Anyway, here's a quick video showing the scrolling feature: https://youtu.be/lVIKjLPxSNs
I also...
2023-07-04 00:05:11 +0000 UTC
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So here are some recent renders. This is an unusual scene, as the only main character in it is the MC himself. But it's necessary to set up the rest of this release and events to follow.
I've spent a great deal of time working with this new programmer helping me get this phone texting system working. Looks like it's very close. In fact it seems to me like it's basically complete, since I've seen virtually everything I need function already in the demos. Well, the only t...
2023-07-02 03:21:53 +0000 UTC
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So this week has been different. I rendered NO images. Instead I burned a day or so trying to make a phone 📱 texting system work before I relaized it was probably beyond my ability. I found a fellow developer looking to do partial coding for other devs for $ and I've got him working on it. STILL don't know how much it will co$t me, though he says his prices are negotiable and reasonable. But in his defense with this kind of thing you don't really know how much time it will take un...
2023-06-24 05:15:55 +0000 UTC
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So far I've just shown an image of a phone screen when phone texts with Nina are exchanged, but there is a better way that allows actual scrolling of messages, and I've been trying to implement that in code. The ability to scroll back to earlier messages is somewhat useful I think, but the real benefit I'm after is the ability for the player to scroll back and see message history with Nina from before the start of the game! This would allow me to seed some i...
2023-06-21 04:47:39 +0000 UTC
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Well that was quick! I think this hits the feeling I was going for better!
2023-06-18 16:47:26 +0000 UTC
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So this finishes off Scene 2 in Release 2, though to be honest I think I'm going to change and re-render that last image (with the teenage girls). In hindsight it would probably be better if they were walking more calmly and eyeing this half-dressed dude walking toward them as if he were absurd or something!
I added a bonus image in here so you could meet Olivia's contractor, Bill (bald guy). The next scene is fairly short and just a set-up for the fourth ...
2023-06-18 14:57:19 +0000 UTC
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I was going to post an update tonight, but I've got two more images rendering to finish Scene 2 and they won't be ready before I go to bed (in moments). so I'll post tomorrow morning.
Goodnight all!
2023-06-18 06:48:46 +0000 UTC
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For those of you who've read the story you know that the scene I'm working on is the one that sets up the first sexual encounter between Olivia and the MC. This is a question about the language used in the scene.
In the story she doesn't actually SAY that when you come back tonight "we're going to fuck", but it's implied. I'm wondering if it SHOULD be explicit, since that would be sexier to some. Let me know!
2023-06-11 15:38:54 +0000 UTC
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I apologize for not giving you guys an update last Friday. Normally I try to provide 4 images with each weekly update, so to get back up to speed, this one has EIGHT images.
I'm really happy with where the story and scripting are going! This workflow of doing scripting, image rendering and coding all at once works really well for me, and I think provides the most creative results. I am leaving most sound stuff for the end, and I'll likely do the same for all bu...
2023-06-10 05:22:26 +0000 UTC
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I swear: the size of my ego is approaching Olivia's. My mind is pumping out script ideas like a well-oiled machine! Or so I think. Seriously, I'm very happy the way things unfold when I write as I render. Much more creative I think.
Above is a teaser.
2023-06-03 15:57:39 +0000 UTC
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I got thoroughly derailed the second half of this week. One of the things I do other than this VN is remotely set up first-run movies for a certain uber-wealthy studio head to view in his home theater. It's rare that he needs me, but when it happens it's always very short notice. This time a crucial piece of electronics had a total meltdown and I burned plenty of hours working with his on-site technical staff trying to get things up and running in time for his big holiday movie weekend....
2023-05-27 06:49:12 +0000 UTC
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Just to let everyone know, I'm making good progress on the release. Just finishing up the first scene. The way I'm doing it now is: everything at once. So; scripting, renders, post-work, sound and coding all together. The only possible exception is that if I hit a challenging animation I might choose to keep moving ahead and handle that animation at the end so it doesn't slow me down. That way I can test everything as I go, and have a solid handle on what my % progress is. I'm shooting for 6 ...
2023-05-24 19:31:22 +0000 UTC
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So happy that I finally navigated this. Outline is fully fleshed out now, and everything makes sense! Love it, and am comfortable with the direction, and the amount of choice in the game. I edited my scripting SO much during the creating of the first two chapters that I figure it makes more sense to start with a clear, full outline and script it as I go. In fact, I'll script it directly in the Ren'Py game code. There doesn't seem to be any point to writing it elsewhere first. Streaml...
2023-05-19 19:56:18 +0000 UTC
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I would like to include more demontrations of female muscle and strength, but I do NOT want them to be just ridiculous scenarios where a woman picks up a steel bar and bends it, or lifts up the back end of a car just because she can. It has to fit the character of the woman, and not be an gratuitous act only thrown in for fan service. I have some ideas, but I'd also like to hear from YOU. Can you think of any scenarios or situations where something like this might fit?
2023-05-18 17:30:09 +0000 UTC
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Since there are going to be more decision paths coming up, and these thngs tend to multiply, I decided I need a more effective method of organization for the VN. After reviewing many different options I've decided on Miro. It's very easy to use, and so far flexible enough for my needs. Above is the flowchart for release 2, and about as much of Release 2 as I'm willing to share at this point. 😎
2023-05-17 18:41:37 +0000 UTC
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Most of the animations from TAG Release 1 are on the Google Drive, but it turns out two are not: the first and the last ones in the game distribution. So this is:
TAG-A-9animation: Camera "inspection" of Chloe's body during her introduction
TAG-B-339animation with SFX: Olivia's weighted pullups session
By special request, these are now on the Drive in the The Alpha Gender/TAG VN Animations folder. Enjoy!
2023-05-16 19:46:04 +0000 UTC
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Since I made some changes, and those changes are only reflected in the now official release available through the Mega, WorkUpload, MediaFire, etc links, the files originally shared via Google Drive to Patrons are an obsolete version.
I'm closing off sharing access to those files since hey no longer serve a purpose. If I had thought ahead I would have changed the version number on the new version (from 0.2a to 0.2b for example) but I didn't, so now they're a potential source of confusi...
2023-05-12 14:05:05 +0000 UTC
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The bigger this community gets, the greater motivation and more resources I'll have to make each new release great, and make it quickly! If the game gets good (and numerous) ratings on F95Zone, that will drive more people to download/play it, and increase the size of our Patreon community here!
If you've played the game, please go to 2023-05-12 03:58:19 +0000 UTC
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The game just got added on F95Zone. I thought I'd be able to control release timing better and release later tonight, but it didn't work out that way. So, for all Patrons who don't already have the game, and all those who DO and want the minor tweaks I added (such as the new branching path relating to Cynthia), please follow the below link and download from the pr...
2023-05-11 19:04:03 +0000 UTC
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I'm just doing some minor changes before wide general release right now:
- Changed "About" in main menu to "Credits" because that's what it is.
- Added Patreon link to main menu
- Added "Teaser Video" button to main menu, and trying to figure out how to get it to play a video the way I want.
- One minor change to the VN by adding another player choice involving Cynthia. I've been struggling over exactly how I want the event to happen in release 2 and I'm not 100...
2023-05-06 18:42:07 +0000 UTC
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I think I painted myself into a corner in release 1, and I'm thinking about making a change... adding another decision for the MC to make. Has to do with Cynthia. Got to figure out how many additional renders I'd need to create to squeeze it in. Shouldn't be many... maybe three? Just a little weekend work. Won't affect anything until Release 2, other than players might be biting their lower lip waiting to see what will happen.
2023-04-29 03:32:23 +0000 UTC
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So, quite a number of you have the first release of TAG, or at least access to it, and many specifically signed up supposedly to GET access to it. But so far only two Patrons have provided any feedback at all.
Feedback is the engine that keeps me producing content, so PLEASE let me know what you think. I don't care if it's positive or negative - I just want it to be your honest evaluation and thoughts. You can respond here in comments, or send ...
2023-04-28 17:24:44 +0000 UTC
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